Learning to Start Small

Until I graduated from college, I could probably list the number of books I had read from cover to cover off the top of my head. I always considered myself to be more of a Cliff’s Notes kind of guy. If I was reading something, it was either the back of a cereal box or an article in Sports Illustrated. As you can imagine, by the time I got into “the real world,” the notion of reading for fun sounded like anything but.

A few years ago, I set a personal goal to read more for enjoyment. When I initially wrote this goal down, I had grand ideas in mind for what I would accomplish. I was going to read one book a month for a total of 12 books a year. Now I know some of you reading this laugh at setting a goal of 12 books but to me, that was a huge commitment!

As I set out for this goal, I came prepared and ready to go. I had spent time researching what book I was going to read and how many pages a day it was going to take for me to complete the reading. I even organized a little reading corner for myself and then to top it all off, I made sure that I blocked off time on my calendar to read. The strategy worked for a couple of weeks but before I knew it, life was getting in the way and I would miss my self-assigned reading appointments. Day after day, I fell further and further behind on my goal.

So, what did I do?  I took a step back and decided to break down my goal into smaller steps. Instead of reading one book a month, I just started to read for five minutes a day. I stopped worrying about how many pages that was going to be. I also did not feel the pressure to get through an entire chapter before ending the day. I was just going to read for fun, after all, that is what this was supposed to be about!

No longer feeling like I had to climb a mountain to reach this goal, reading for five minutes quickly turned into seven minutes, which turned into 10 minutes, and before long, I was starting to see some major progress! All because I decided to take on my goal, one little step at a time. So why did I choose to share all this with you? Throughout this process of trying to achieve my seemingly simple goal, I learned three key things about goals that I would love to share.

1. You Have to Start Somewhere

There is never going to be a perfect time when everything falls into place or it’s just the right time to start achieving goals. Look at your large goals and break them into smaller pieces. Make your first step simple, so simple that it might seem silly, and results will come.

2. Even Minor Progress Builds Momentum 

Progress can sometimes be like a domino effect. As you start to see progress being made, you will feel the natural momentum building to push you forward in reaching your goals. Stick to it and you will get there.

3. Consistency over Time = Success

Rome wasn’t built in a day. You will have some days where you mess up, but if you’re consistently pushing towards that goal, your off days won’t hinder your success in the end. Nobody operates at 100% every single day. It takes a consistent effort over a period of time to make a habit and see breakthroughs.

In closing, I want you to think about it this way; if you were training for a marathon, you would not start your training by going out and running 26.2 miles in one day. You would work up to it. Embrace the journey it takes to achieve your goals and enjoy every part of the process. Celebrate small wins and remember it’s okay to make mistakes! Every section of your journey matters and plays a role in making a big impact on your life. Learn to see the power of starting small!